Our View: Move to North Main another good one for Rosecrance

Friday

Oct 4, 2013 at 12:01 AMOct 4, 2013 at 3:01 AM

Adequate mental health services are an important part of a community’s infrastructure — just as important as public safety, good roads and quality education. Without good physical and mental health, nothing else matters.

Adequate mental health services are an important part of a community’s infrastructure — just as important as public safety, good roads and quality education. Without good physical and mental health, nothing else matters.

Rosecrance Health Network has been a leader in providing mental health services and announced a move Wednesday that should help it improve on the delivery of those services.

Rosecrance will leave the downtown Ware Center, which was bought by Winnebago County, and move to the former Sun View Market on North Main Street.

The new facility will give Rosecrance more space — 42,000 square feet versus 25,000 — and plenty of parking for clients and staff. To say there is limited parking at the Ware Center would be an understatement. Realistically, there is no parking for staff or clients. The Main Street location has more than 250 parking spaces.

It’s also on a public bus route, providing access for those who don’t drive. Counseling, case management, psychiatry, after-hours triage and other support services will also move.

A larger facility is important because more people may take advantage of the services Rosecrance provides because the Affordable Care Act covers mental health services. People who couldn’t pay for those services yet needed them may now seek the help they need.

The move should help revitalize that section of North Main. The grocery closed in 2007, and the building has been vacant ever since.

Rosecrance has been a good neighbor at its other locations. Its properties are well-maintained and have a campus-like feel designed to put clients and their families at ease.

We feel a bit of nostalgia for the Ware Center, formerly known as Janet Wattles Center, which has been a home for mental health services for more than 30 years. We felt it was an ideal location because people with mental illness and their loved ones were familiar with the Ware Center and knew it was the place to go.

However, as Rosecrance CEO Phil Eaton pointed out to the Editorial Board during a meeting Wednesday, most of Rosecrance’s clients come from ZIP codes outside downtown.

We have fond memories of Frank Ware, who had been in charge of Janet Wattles since 1989 and for whom the center was named (he died in 2011).

Ware was a staunch advocate for people who needed mental health services. He made us realize that our friends, neighbors or co-workers might need help, and ignoring problems wouldn’t make them go way.

Helping those friends and neighbors is what will take place at Rosecrance on North Main. People with mental health issues have many of the same needs as people who have physical ailments. Regular doctor visits can alleviate pain and suffering, and making it more convenient to see a doctor makes it more appealing to seek help.

It’s estimated that 26 percent of the local population has a diagnosed mental disorder, further demonstrating the need for the services that Rosecrance provides.